Barnes County: A Moment in Time

1921 100 Years Ago... Alma Harstad Recovering

Miss Alma Harstad, of Sanborn is in the Riverside hospital recovering very nicely from the shock of nearly drowning Friday evening when the ice gave away on which she was crossing the Sheyenne river near the ice house in the eastern part of the city. Miss Harstad’s brother-in-law, Mike Klein, nearly suffered a like fate. When Miss Harstad broke through Mr. Klein at once attempted to rescue her and he also went through. Their cries attracted the attention of Richard Jagd, who was returning from work. He secured a hold on the man’s hand and in turn each were pulled to safety. The girl was taken to the hospital at once where she is reported getting along very nicely today. She is about sixteen years old. Mr. Klein’s wife is also in the hospital, and it was there that the girl was going when she fell in, nearly in the middle of the river. The Kleins and Miss Harstad are from the Sanborn vicinity.

Ball Tourney a Big Success

The second day of the tournament opened with a game between Greenland and Grand Prairie, two open countrly consolidated schools. Both schools have strong teams. The game started with a snap and this was continually shown throughout the entire contest. It was one of those games that spectators like to see. Both teams were enthusiastically supported by lusty groups or rooters. Grand Prairie however, took the lead early in game and maintained it to the end. When the whistle blew, the score was 32 to 21 in favor of Grand Prairie. This game was followed by a contest between the Normal Training school and the Green Consolidated School. The final score was 33 to 10 in favor of Green. The Normal School put up a fast and plucky game, but was outclassed and outweighed by the boys from Green. At two in the afternoon the Nome girls met the Grand Prairie girls in what proved to be a very exciting game. A few seconds after the game started the Grand Prairie girls threw a field basket.

This was soon followed by a second basket. In the meantime the Nome girls were getting set for a strong game and came back strong. The final score was 15 to 9 in favor of Nome.

After the girls game Grand Prairie met Sanborn. Sanborn has generally been considered one of the strongest teams of the tournament. Sanborn was frequently picked as the winner. It was a surprise to the spectators when Grand Prairie literally swept part of the game. A few minutes after the opening of the game the score stood 5 to 0 in favor of Grand Prairie. At the close of the first half the score was 11 to 9 in favor of Sanborn. The final score was 23 to 15 in favor of Sanborn. At 4p.m. Davey met Green. The final score of this game was 23 to 14 in favor of the Dazey team. Following this game between Dazey and Green the Valley City coaches hurriedly organized a team of their own and met a similar group of coaches from the outlaying districts

and towns. They started out with a snap and it is only fair to say that the game was full of thrills and surprises and kept the spectator on needles throughout the contest. The evening games were play to decide the championship for the year of 1921. Wimbledon girls played the Nome girls for the championship. The final score was 12 to 11 in favor of Nome. This decision gave Nome the championship and the beautiful cup presented by O.C. Hustad & Son to the tournament a few years ago to be presented each year to the winners of the contest. After this game Sanborn and Dazey appeared on the floor to decide the championship for the boys. Both schools have strong teams and a battle royal was anticipated. The expectations were realized in the thrilling contest that followed between the two teams. The final score was 20 to 14 in favor of Dazey. Davey was presented with a silver cup presented to the tournament a year ago by the Straus Clothing Company, to be awarded to the winners.

1946 75 Years Ago... Marion Lyons

Miss Marion E. Lyons, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E.R. Lyons of Eckelson, received her discharge February 4 from the AIR-WACS at Camp Beale near Marysville, Calif., after serving overseas 14 months of the more than two years in the service. Miss Lyons entered the service in January, 1944; received her boot training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and did clerical work with the Air Transport Command at Gore Field, Great Falls, Mont., before requesting overseas duty. During July and August, 1944, she took her overseas training at Grenier Field, Manchester, N.H., and flew to her station at Casablanca, French Morocco, North Africa. In October, she was promoted to staff sergeant. Miss Lyons made use of the opportunity to take recreational trips to Marrakech, south of Casablanca; in March 1945 to Naples, Italy, as a member of her company’s basketball team, and in October to the Riviera and Monte Carlo, France. She returned on the Cristobal arriving in New York City December 1, and following a 45-day leave reported to Stockton, Calif., for her discharge. She has accepted a position with the Civil Service at the Stockton Air Field doing the same work as when she was a WAC. A graduate of the Eckelson high school, and the State School of Science at Wahpeton, Miss Lyons was employed by the American National Bank and the Agricultural Adjustment Association in Valley City just prior to enlisting.

Photographer Rudy Kent

R. J. (Rudy) Kent has become affiliated with the McFarland Studio, Prop. R. Kenneth McFarland announced today. Rudy came here from New York where he was born 35 years ago. He worked for a portrait and commercial studio on Long Island until 1936 when he left his native surroundings to travel for a Chicago photographic supply wholesaler in the middlewest. Entering the army in June, 1942, he was assigned to the aerial photographic section of the 395th heavy bombardment squardron of the Sixth Air Force in Panama. After completing a year of duty, he was assigned to the 243rd air base unit at Great Bend, Kansas. There, too, he met Miss Thelma Hall of Jamestown, a librarian, who is now Mrs. Kent.

1971 50 Years Ago... Name Me A Name

A search for a new name for the present armory to designate its use as a sports and recreation building is underway by the Valley City Recreation Council. To further the effort to swing recognition of the building from a possible “Old Armory” classification to a title that will represent its status to be the Valley City Times-Record is beginning today a “NEW NAME FOR THE OLD ARMORY” contest, open to anyone of any age and ability. Prizes will be ten dollars for the best choice and five dollars for the second choice. Members of the Recreation Council will be the judges. Time of the contest will be until March 9, about ten days away. Send your entries to “NEW NAME FOR THE OLD ARMORY” contest, c-o Valley City Times-Record, Box 210, Valley City, N.D. The present armory will be turned over to the City of Valley City on completion of a new Armory on Grager Hill. The move of the National Guard into their new quarters, which will take place following the dedication, March 5. The city government has authorized the planning for conversion of the large “Old Armory” for recreation use and plans are being drawn up by the civic groups in the city concerned with sports and recreation. These are the Recreation Council, the Teen Canteen Council and the Student Council in Valley City High School, the Valley City Cares directors, the Valley City Park Board and other groups. The building, located on Fourth Street S.W. has a main floor space equal to two basketball courts, a full basement, and a second floor space arrangement of office space over restrooms and equipment rooms. The basement has an automobile entrance and is connected to the city auditorium by a tunnel, eliminating outside traffic when needed. The basement is mainly used for storage at the present time. WPA built the Armory and the Auditorium were both build in 1937, and the building was dedicated on January 7, 1938. The Recreation Council and the Park Board on whose shoulders will be placed the responsibility of the conversion and use of the building, hope in their planning to achieve for Valley City a highly useable building that will serve

the recreational needs of all ages all of Valley City residents.

With Our Servicemen

Specialist-4 Larry W. Eberle joined the armed forces March 13, 1969, and served in Germany for six month’s with the 296 Transportation Co. He was then further assigned to Vietnam to join the 9th Transportation Co. for the next 10 months at Long Binh. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.

Thomas D. Sather, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Sather, Oriska was recently promoted to Captain while serving with the U.S. Army in Fort Rucker, Ala. While at Ft. Rucker, Capt., Sather, was a helicopter pilot and instructor. He is now stationed in Vietnam working in the same field.

1996 25 Years Ago... Osborne to be NDWS honoree

Harold Osborne of Wimbledon, has been named 1996 North Dakota Winter Show Livestock Honoree. Osborne is a longtime Winter Show sheep exhibitor. He was born and raised in Bowman, and after attending the University of North Dakota, moved to the Wimbledon area and began farming in 1949. Over the years, Osborne has exhibited at many state fairs and nearly all of the National Columbia Shows, according to information from the NDWS office. He began showing sheep at the Winter Show when it was held in scattered locations in downtown Valley City. During the 1970s and ’80s, he represented North Dakota as a director of the American sheep Producers Council. He is presently serving as a director for the Valley Wool Growers Association, which is the largest wool, growers marketing association in the state. In 1988, Osborne sold the high-selling Columbia ram in the nation at the National Columbia Sale held at Wausau, Wis.

Osborne has three daughters and a son, all of whom are active in showing sheep at the NDWS. His son, Don, still farms south of Wimbledon. Although somewhat retired, Osborne still enjoys helping out on the farm and working with sheep, the NDWS office said.

Sayler opens first bed and breakfast in Valley City home

Marge Sayler has opened Valley City’s first bed and breakfast in her home two miles south of Interstate 94 (Exit 292) on the Kathryn Road. She’s named it Valley Bed and Breakfast.

“I’m so excited to get started, “Sayler says. “I love meeting new people and meeting new friends.” She says she just took reservations from some people from

California. “They’ll be the first ones to stay (at the bed and breakfast) the first part of March,” she says. Sadler also has some rooms reserved from people in Minnesota and North Dakota who will be attending the North Dakota Winter Show in Valley City. She says she got the idea from some friends who visited them and asked her why she didn’t open a bed and breakfast in her home. “They told me we’re set up for that.”

Now that their four children are grown and away from home, the idea seemed even more inviting. “The empty nest syndrome, you know,” Sayler says with a laugh. Another reason she decided to open up her home for this new business is because there are few bed and breakfasts between Minneapolis and Medora. There’s one in Jamestown and one in Buffalo which are located just off I-94. The Saylers have 2,800 square feet on each of the two floors. There are six bedrooms (four of which they can rent at one time), and the Saylers give the people who are renting the rooms access to the whole house“within reason,” Sayler says. A few of the stipulations the North Dakota Bed and Breakfast Association, of which Sayler is a member, requires people operating a bed and breakfast are that they are licensed, that the owners sleep in the home, and that the owners provide a breakfast. Sadler says she could provide other meals also, but she isn’t getting into that just yet as she’s too busy helping her husband operate his optometric business in Valley City.

The Saylers built their house in 1987 and have all kinds of built-in entertainment areas. Like to swim? There’s a pool. How about exercising? They can provide an exercise area and a game room with video games. They also have a sauna and hot tub. Downstairs there is also a large bar and two large tables and chairs, plus some plush furniture to relax on. There’s a piano upstairs and an organ downstairs.

There’s a television downstairs and may books that can be taken upstairs for those who want some quiet time. Upstairs there’s a large room that Sayler calls “The Quiet Room.” There’s no television set in it for people who prefer to read in a quiet place. Prices vary according to what people want, Sayler says.

“I fluctuate with what they want. I work around their needs,” she explains. They have a honeymoon suite upstairs with a large kingsized bed. This can be converted into a sleeping room for a family by taking out some of the furniture and putting in extra beds. This room is private with dual dressing rooms. Or there are smaller bedrooms downstairs with baths.

Sayler says she can only rent four bedrooms out at one time. She must renew her license annually, and representatives from the state bed and breakfast association inspect every room she rents out. They take a complete tour of the house. Sadler says she plans to become a member of the national bed and breakfast association later on. She will also have a toll-free number later on, too. “Once I get my feet wet, “she says.

Right now she’s happy and excited about embarking on a new business located right in her own home. “It’s country living at its finest,” she says. She has only two stipulations about staying at their home. No smoking, and no pets. Call 1-701-845-5893 for reservations.